North Carolina legalizes to-go cocktails permanently
29 states already enacted laws to make ready-to-go cocktails permanent
Athletic Brewing Co. has made non-alcoholic beer 'exciting for consumers': Bill Shufelt
Athletic Brewing Company CEO and co-founder Bill Shufelt shares how the non-alcoholic beer brand has stayed competitive to become a Top 10 craft brewer in the U.S.
North Carolina residents can, once again, order cocktails to go.
On Monday, Gov. Roy Cooper signed SB 527 into law, which permanently reinstated cocktails to-go, a move that will allow restaurants and distilleries in the state to boost their revenue streams.
The law will also effectively lower the tax rate for spirits ready-to-drink cocktails and permit alcohol sales on certain holidays.
COCKTAILS READY-TO-DRINK? JAMESON WHISKEY PARENT CEO SAYS THEY ARE HERE TO STAY
During the pandemic, more than 35 states, including North Carolina, allowed restaurants, bars and distilleries in some states to sell cocktails to-go in an effort to provide some economic relief while social distancing mandates were in place, according to Lisa Hawkins, a spokesperson for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).
![Making cocktails](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxbusiness.com/foxbusiness.com/content/uploads/2024/07/931/523/GettyImages-1236084231-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
This picture taken on Oct. 9, 2021, shows a member of the bar staff preparing a kratom-infused mocktail at the Teens of Thailand cocktail bar in Bangkok. (JACK TAYLOR/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
However, the executive order put in place in North Carolina expired in June 2021 all while other states made it a permanent measure, Hawkins said.
RECORD-BREAKING IRISH WHISKEY GIFT SET SELLS FOR $2.8 MILLION AT AUCTION
Today, 29 states, including North Carolina and the District of Columbia, have established laws to allow the sale of to-go cocktails.
![Making cocktails](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxbusiness.com/foxbusiness.com/content/uploads/2024/07/931/523/GettyImages-1229943582-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Günter Windhorst, owner of the cocktail bar "Windhorst" in Mitte, offers "cocktails to go" as of today. Fans of this special drink can choose from a menu of cocktails. (Paul Zinken/picture alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The lower tax rate on spirits-based ready to drink cocktails, a relatively new category, will not only boost options for consumers but also benefit the local economy, according to Hawkins.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
The removal of the mixed beverage tax on spirits ready-to-drink cocktails will pave the way for more local restaurants and bars to sell this particular product, which is the fastest-growing spirits category. Revenue in the category surged 26.8% in 2023 to $2.8 billion, according to DISCUS.
![cocktail to go](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxbusiness.com/foxbusiness.com/content/uploads/2024/07/931/523/GettyImages-1207672443-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Jeff Bell prepares cocktails to-go at the bar Please Don't Tell in Manhattan, March 19, 2020, in New York City. (Victor J. Blue/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The state follows Iowa, Mississippi, Michigan, Nebraska and Vermont in lowering the tax rate for such drinks, effectively expanding market access.
So far this year, a dozen states have considered following suit.